“I'm constantly struck by how effortlessly we prioritize our own self-love, yet we place more value on others' opinions than on our own sense of worth... We give so much weight to what others think of us, and so little to how we see ourselves!” - Marcus Aurelius
The Stoics believed true joy comes not from fleeting pleasures but from doing meaningful work.
It’s about being kind, letting go of temporary desires, and focusing on what truly matters.
In your career, fulfilment doesn’t come from hitting targets or earning big commissions, but from building authentic connections and helping others.
Like Keanu Reeves, who finds joy in humble, genuine interactions, the real reward lies in being authentic and grounded, not just in closing deals but in creating lasting relationships.
Actionable tips:
- Next time you face a challenging sales call, remind yourself, you don’t need the prospect’s approval to feel validated. Focus on being genuine, helpful, and confident in your approach.
- Rather than worrying about how you’re perceived by peers, focus on what you can control such as your own KPIs, targets, and growth. Let your results speak for themselves.
Remember you will die.
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Connect with We Have a Meeting: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/we-have-a-meeting/ Website: https://www.wehaveameeting.com/
Disclaimer:
The Sales Stoic draws inspiration from the profound wisdom of Stoicism as presented in Ryan Holiday's "The Daily Stoic." As avid readers & fans, we deeply respect the work of Ryan Holiday, and acknowledge the significant impact of Stoic philosophy on our own approach to sales and life.
While The Sales Stoic applies the core principles of Stoicism to the unique challenges and opportunities faced by salespeople, it is an original work with its own distinct voice and focus. We aim to build upon the timeless wisdom of Stoicism to empower sales professionals with practical guidance and actionable insights for success in their careers and personal lives.
Jack Frimston
Co-Founder at We Have a Meeting
Zac Thompson
Co-Founder at We Have a Meeting
Don't step. I'm sorry. one. God. You know, when you start, you know, when you're reading them, do I just like run into them and start being like audacious? Nice. Be hug. Throwback. Yesterday. This one. No, no, no. That was an impression of a sheep because you are a sheep and this one is for you. Forget the crowd sheep and trust your own voice.
It's the 26th of May, it's Curly Chops, it's Marcus. I'm constantly struck by how effortlessly we prioritize our own self-love, yet we place more value on others' opinions than on our own sense of worth. We give so much weight to what others think of us and so little to how we see ourselves. Marcus Aurelius. So we prioritize our own wellbeing, yet we constantly bend over backwards to please others and seek their approval. So...
I want to talk a little bit about people pleasing because that is something that comes up so much in sales. Why does people pleasing exist? It probably goes back to childhood and used to get validation when you did any child. Okay. I'm just talking royally. Is it running for me? What? Sorry, what? I can't remember getting any from you. validation? No, because I'm not your dad.
Who is? don't know. Is it about people pleasing? And children probably didn't get that validation or they got the validation where they did things right and they said yes. So they carry that forward with them in life. And I've definitely been guilty of people pleasing tendencies. I know that you have it because you don't go around pleasing people. I've definitely been guilty of that. And I think that one of the things that if you're a salesperson and you're also a people pleaser, you will struggle.
because there are points as a salesperson, you have to be the lawyer. You have to ask the difficult questions. You have to call out the contradictions. You have to challenge people. So maybe let's make it really actionable so that the salespeople listening to this can take something away, apply it if they are a people pleaser. One of the biggest things that they might struggle with is an email objection. okay. Yeah. So if I was a prospect and I'm giving you an email objection. Where are we in the call? We are...
We've been talking five, 10 minutes. We've got a problem. Let's go, but send me an email. All right. Yeah. Cause the people please. I'm going to as a people, please. I'm going to say, yeah. I'll send you an email. I'll give you the people, please. For example, I'll give you the real one. you'd be the prospect. ⁓ yeah. Send me an email, please. What would I do then? What would you want me to do next? I'll just leave it with me. Okay. Just leave it with you. Yeah. All Can I maybe give you a call back in a weeks? That's fine. That's fine. That's fine. Okay. All right. People please tick people. Please tickety tick now.
time to come at it from the Thompson angle. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just send me an email. Yeah, can do. What's the best email to catch you on? It's Jack at hh.com. Okay. Jack at hh.com. Got that. And then just so I'm sending you over something relevant out of problem one, two and three, which one are we focused on? Probably problem three. Best to look at. You said probably have to push you for an example on that one then. Give me a bit more. Yeah. Problem three. Okay. And then
Just so I've got an example that always looks a bit different to everyone. How's that showing up at the minute? Well, the business is doing X, Y and Zed. We're trying to achieve X, Y Zed. That is probably slowing us down because we're trying to move towards X, Y Zed. I actually wasn't expecting to hear you say that. OK, what's going on then? Well, we brought in a new head of ad about ad and we're trying to focus more so on the bringing her into that one. OK, and I'm guessing you've said send me anyone because you've given up on fixing that. No, no, no, no, no, no, we are trying. I'm looking at it actively at the moment.
Can I ask a really direct question? Please. Usually when people say they're looking at it actively at the minute and they've got those problems, they want to have a proper look at what's going out there. So normally we spend 20 minutes, half an hour on looking at something, but you're probably going to tell me that's a bad idea. No, that sounds good. Get your diary out then, boy. Oh, but yeah, you're handling the people, please. You've got to dig a bit deeper. I also think that not being afraid to ask, can I be really honest with you?
Ask me the most honest question you can ask, go on. Usually when people say send me an email, it's just them being nice. They think I'm a people pleaser. They just want to please me. Is that the case here? What, we're pleasing each other? Kind of, you aren't. Okay, no, really good, really good. I like that one. I like calling out the, ⁓ the elephant in the room. Yeah, exactly. And I wouldn't call you that to your face. Don't be afraid to ask challenging questions.
And don't be afraid not to please people. We always joke that like, when people say, ⁓ could you get up at four in the morning and drive me to the airport? There's we just want to be seen as nice people. go, yeah. Yeah. Actually, I'm going to regret doing that. they're really saying is, you nice? And you're saying, yes, I'm nice, but we definitely, definitely where I'm at in my life now, people have asked me to do some silly things. And I've said, but what drugs? Wow. Thank you.
I've been Jack Frimston. I've been Zack Thompson. Remember you will die. Ice cold with a little touch of rosemary.
